IND vs BAN | Can celebrate if we win the series, said Mushfiqur Rahim
After Bangladesh secured their maiden T20 win over India, Mushfiqur Rahim acknowledged that he has learnt from his mistakes and has become confident in closing games after the T20 World Cup quarterfinal fiasco. Yesterday, Rahim guided his team home helping Bangladesh score 35 in last 18 balls.
Bangladesh have finally managed to earn their maiden victory over India in the shortest format as they handed the hosts a 7-wicket defeat in Delhi. The match which was set up pretty much the same way as the 2016 T20 World Cup quarterfinal in Bangalore, with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahammadullah Riyad at the crease in the closing moments of the match, but ended in favour of the Bengal Tigers this time. Rahim’s celebration after the historic win was very subdued as the keeper-batsman later informed that he would celebrate once Bangladesh seals the series.Â
"Win is a win and we still have two matches. If we can win the series then we can celebrate,'' Mushfiqur said after the game. "Men can make mistakes. As long as you're learning from your mistakes, that's the most important part. And after that incident [in Bangalore WCT20] I was closing games in T20s and also in ODIs. So that gives me a lot of confidence.
"We knew what we had to do in that situation rather than doing things I did in the past. I had a chat before the start of the 20th over. We knew and we are clear. And after a couple of years, me and Riyad finishing off the game, it feels really great.
"World Cup match and bilateral series are different. To play against such a strong team like India, you will like to present your best team. We never won against them (in T20Is) before. This could have happened later. I am happy that we could make this happen . We had this belief."
Chasing a modest total of 149, Bangladesh lost their opener Liton Das cheaply as Soumya Sarkar stitched important partnerships of 48 and 60 runs with debutant Mohammad Naim and the veteran Mushfiqur respectively. The sticky surface made batting tough as Bangladesh had 35 runs to get in last 18 balls when they lost Sarkar. But Rahim held on and with skipper Mahammadullah made sure that his team went over the line comfortably.Â
Talking about his game plan, Rahim emphasised it's important to assess the conditions in the middle and also said that it's important that a set batsman remains on the crease towards the nervous closing moments of the game.
"Batsmen understand the situation more from the pitch, more than anyone from the dugout. So when a batsman is in, he knows what the difficulties there are. So I had chat with myself and also with Soumya, if one of the set batsmen stays till 19th and if still we lose the game, we can bear it but at least we would be taking the game in deep.
"Last two overs, we can take 20-25 runs. And we knew they would try with seamers, which was a bit easier than hitting the spinners. We stuck to our game plan and it worked. It can happen to any player when you play in the same condition in previous occasions and you have an experience of playing for 10-15 years. I won matches staying in the wickets previously, so it also gave me lots of confidence while we also learned from our mistakes."
Rahim also shared how tough the last few weeks have been for him and Bangladesh cricket. First, the players went on a strike putting forward their 13 demands which was called off as BCB assured the fulfilment of most of them. Then their ace all-rounder and skipper Shakib Al Hassan was banned by ICC for two years and to add salt to their wounds, Tamim Iqbal stepped down from the series.
"In my 15-year career, the last two-three weeks were the toughest. No one expects such a situation, whether it's family or cricket. No one would want it," he said. "Before I left Bangladesh, I said everything can come on the right track if we win some matches and that's what we have done. We came here to compete in each and every game. But as long as you are playing consistent cricket and improving day by day, that's our main goal."
He further added that the result has proved that Bangladesh are a strong side even without the presence of their biggest players.
"Shakib is a very big cricketer for us. We always miss him. Tamim is also a very big part. They have won many matches single-handedly. We always miss them. But it is also a sign that Bangladesh can win without them. Even without me or Riyad, I believe Bangladesh can perform.
"We were underdogs when we came here. As we had nothing to lose we played with a free mind and that helped us play fearless cricket. But personally I think we can improve in a couple of areas. Because in the last two overs, we gave way some easy boundaries. So if we improve in those areas and play better, there is nothing impossible," he concluded.
